


The Day Minseok Disappeared

by KYX



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, EXO - Freeform, M/M, Mystery, Romance, XiuHan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 05:38:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10678797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KYX/pseuds/KYX
Summary: After the nth fight with Luhan, Minseok leaves the house where they live together. The day after, his car is found on the edge of a road, door open, engine running, radio still playing.





	The Day Minseok Disappeared

**Author's Note:**

> The story was also posted on AFF: https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1154343
> 
> Here: https://i.imgur.com/Pg5dwjx.png the beautiful cover that Lazy Graphic Shop (on AFF: https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1233969/lazy-graphic-shop-angst-bigbang-fantasy-graphics-poster-romance-you-exo-shop-free-bts) made for the story.
> 
> Check out my EXO Recommendation post "Sharing Is Caring, Let's Share EXO" on AFF: http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1247363/sharing-is-caring-let-s-share-exo-exo-kai-luhan-tao-sehun-baekhyun-recommendations-chen-xiumin-chanyeol-lay-kris-kyungsoo-suho-ot12-recommendation-ficrecs-sharingiscaring-exorecommendation-exorec

Luhan had just had the shittiest day of his life, as he was calling it in his head.

His work load was killing him. His asshole boss was trying to make him go nuts. His colleagues were every day that passed more and more stupid, keeping on making mistakes he has to right.

If the, at this point, everyday work stress wasn’t enough, an idiot had smashed into him on his way to get his car and now the front of his suit was wet with coffee. Who the hell drinks a giant cup of coffee at 10 pm? (Yeah, 10 pm. He wasn’t joking while complaining about his work load and his stupid colleagues trying to make the company sink or something.)

The only thing he wanted was to arrive at home, take a hot shower to wash away the obviously cheap coffee from his skin and head straight to bed.

He didn’t even had the time to close the door behind him that something crushed into him and envelope his body, a “welcome home!” in broken Chinese, way too loud, way too close to his hear. He detangled himself from the body surrounding his own and gave a hard look to the slightly short man.

“Min, would you please not?” he said turning to close the door.

“What?” said the man behind him, confused “I didn’t understand… And what happened to your clothes?”

He was too tired to deal with Minseok’s problem in understanding a sentence that to him was basic, so he just said “nothing” walking past him after finally closing the main door and taking off his ruined jacket. He would have to take his suit to the cleaner’s. What a pain.

"Hey! Don't ignore me! What happened?" more broken Chinese came, hands on his shoulders to accompany it, way too heavy on his tired back.

He turned around shaking off those hands.

“Don’t you really fucking understand? I’m tired! Just stop!” he was fed up of all that shit.

"I know you're tired! Think I didn't notice? You're barely at home anymore!" why the fuck was Minseok yelling at him now? He was the one pissed off!

"If you know why the hell are you bothering me?" shouting louder to the point of feeling a vein pulse on his temple was so satisfying. Luhan turned away from Minseok again and started heading out of the living room and making a beeline for the bathroom.

"Han!" another shout soon followed by hands on the back of his shoulders trying to stop him.

Again. Those fucking. Hands.

"STOP FUCKING TOUCHING ME!" he shout on the top of his lungs. Now were his own hands colliding hard against Minseok's chest. The guy probably didn't expect that and came crushing against the counter that divided the small kitchen from the living room.

Finally with nothing on his way to stop him, Luhan walked angrily into the bathroom.

 

*****

 

Minseok could hear the water running in the shower through the bathroom’s closed door and the empty hallway. Tears were spilling from his eyes and down his cheeks. His lower back was pulsing against the counter he was resting onto.

How many times had something similar happened? Too many to count.

How many just this week? Too many not to hurt.

That was the first time being shoved away that violently, tho.

He lifted his gaze and looked around, lost. The room in front of him was so familiar: the living room of the house that wasn’t Luhan’s only since he had moved in from the US with him, right after both of them had finished their studies there. Familiar colours, familiar furniture, familiar belongings. Then, his gaze fell on the car key that, in his haste, Luhan had left on top of his jacket, on the sofa. That simple image, such a common plastic and metal object, made him realise what he had tried to ignore and hide in some recess of his mind for  way too long.

_We can’t keep on like this._

More tears came out of his eyes. He immediately knew what he had to do. He walked quickly to their bedroom, took the biggest suitcase they owned from above the wardrobe and started throwing his clothes on the bed without even looking at them. Quick motions to free them from their hangers and put them in the luggage without even folding them. He didn’t stop ‘till it couldn’t contain anything else and he had to close it. Ten minutes and he was sitting inside the car, suitcase on the backseat and a little bag with other personal objects on the shotgun.

He started driving taking random detours, random streets. And the more he drove, the more the emptiness he felt while gathering his things left space to the pain. He had started crying again.

_It’s dangerous driving when you can’t see clearly._

But he knew he wasn’t going to stop crying any time soon. He had ended up exiting the city and now he was in some countryside large but deserted street. He parked on the side of the road and let his feelings flow, letting them out.

 

*****

 

Luhan let the hot water fall over his head, forehead against the cold tiles of the shower wall. He was breathing slowly, trying to calm down. He had started feeling guilty the moment he had violently shut the door behind him and had caught glimpse of his face in the bathroom mirror. What was that deep frown? He didn’t use to be this angry all the time, especially not towards Minseok. He replayed what had just happened in his head. Where did that asshole behaviour had come from? And why did he let it come out? He couldn’t believe he had got annoyed at Minseok welcoming him back home. And all that had come after...

The first thing that he did after exiting the bathroom was looking for Minseok. They needed to talk, they needed to talk right now, even if he had to wake Minseok up. He was sure he would understand.

The lights in both the living room and their bedroom were on. Weird. Minseok was one of those persons who always bothered people about turning off the water while brushing their teeth and switching off the lights when exiting a room. The door of their bedroom was open and from his spot still in front of the bathroom he could see some clothes discarded on the bed.

_What?_

In a moment he was stepping in the room.

Clothes and empty hangers discarded on the bed, closet left open and half emptied, the suitcase above it on the left missing, Minseok’s nightstand drawer only half closed.

Luhan sprinted through the living room to the front door. Minseok’s work bag and jacket nowhere to be found.

He couldn’t do anything but stare at his own lonely sport jacket on the hanger.

 

*****

 

How did they end up like that? He could clearly remember how his heart had burned in happiness, colourful hats and flying confetti all around them on the day of their graduation, mind already set on the life they had already carefully planned and were about to begin. They had loved each other to the point of Luhan , twinkling hope in his eyes, asking him to come with him back to China. Minseok had immediately said yes even though the only thing he could say in Chinese had been “hello” and some swear words his boyfriend had taught him.  They were so happy, so in love. They had come to China and even with all the difficulties in finding a job and learn a new language from scratch he was so incredibly happy. Happy and in love. In love and happy. And then…

And then Luhan had started changing.

At the beginning he had just been a little stressed by the promotion he had got, with his boss demanding more and more from him. He tried to be understanding, helping him relax and rest when at home but things only got worse. Luhan had to work most of the day before but now he had stopped coming home for lunch and then also for dinner, coming back later and later. Minseok was almost never able to see his boyfriend and when he finally got to see him, Luhan was just stressed, irritable, tired and nothing that Minseok could say or do were to make him feel better. Minseok was tired too. So tired of being left alone. Tired of coming back home to an empty house and no one that would gladly hear him talk about his day, about the embarrassing and sometimes funny things that came from his not so skilled use of Chinese, while brushing their finger in his hair and offering their day’s story in return. He missed Luhan. He missed the caring and loving Luhan from before. So much. Days kept on dragging like that and Luhan had started not only being absent most of the time but also harsh towards him. Minseok was patient by nature and loved Luhan but he wasn’t anyone’s toy. He wouldn’t stay there, being something to play with and throw away when tired of it.

He lifted his head a little from where he had laid it on the wheel, between his hands clutched around the leather. His gaze immediately fell on the silver coloured band around his right thumb. The one Luhan and him had bought together ‘cause _people in love wear couple rings_. He took his hands off the wheel and slipped the ring off his finger throwing it somewhere near the passenger sit. It was still painful but now that he had made up his mind it was bearable.

_Time to find some place to sleep in. At this time Yixing should still be up._

He dried the last tears and was about to take his phone from the bag next to him to call his colleague and friend when for some reason he lifted his gaze and froze.

There was someone standing in front of his car, some meters away, illuminated by the car’s head lights.

Or so he thought. One moment the person was there, the next one there was no one in that same spot.

_What th…_

The radio turned on and some pop song started playing from the device.

Minseok got so scared by the sudden sound on his right that jumped in his seat, back flat against the window. The little scare turned quickly into pure fright and cold sweat started forming on his skin.

_An alone guy sitting in a car in the middle of nowhere._

_A person that appears and then vanishes._

_A turned off radio that starts playing on its own._

_I’ve watched way too many films not to know where this is going._

A stupid thought in a moment of panic.

Minseok looked around. The passenger seat’s window in front of him showed only pitch black. In the back seat only his big suitcase, too dark outside to see through the glasses. The car’s head lights illuminated an empty countryside street on his left.

Minseok started unconsciously muttering in Korean between tight lips.

_No…_

_No, please…_

_Please, please, please…_

He knew he shouldn’t turn towards the only window he hadn’t checked already: the one against his back. Before, he hadn’t bothered turning the engine off. He could just push the accelerator and get the hell out of there, but something was making him turn around. He could faintly hear his phone start ringing in his bag and then Minseok turned around and screamed.

 

*****

 

The room Luhan was waiting in was almost empty. Just one rectangular table with two opposite chairs on the long sides, the one occupied by him facing the door. A large (Luhan was sure) fake mirror running on the whole width of the white wall on his left.

He was nervous. Deadly nervous and scared. After what had happened while he was in the shower had sank in, he had wandered around the house. _Minseok left_  was the only thing he could think of, not knowing what to do when his boyfriend’s phone kept on ringing ‘till the voice mail came through, no matter how many times he had called. He had ended up falling asleep while sitting on one of the counter stools, hands in his hair still wondering how he could had let it happen. The last thing he had expected was being woken up by someone ringing the doorbell. Or maybe the very last thing he had expected was opening the front door to face two policemen who wanted to confirm his identity before telling him they had to talk about his boyfriend. Luhan hadn’t thought his heart could sink more than how it had when he had found Minseok’s things missing. Oh, how wrong he was.

The door opened to let a tall blonde man enter.

“Hello, Mr. Lu. I’m detective Wu Yifan.” The man said taking the other chair away from the table and sitting down. He put a thick file in front of him and looked straight in his eyes. The only thing Luhan wanted was knowing what had happened to Minseok but he knew better than to speak. That man, Wu Yifan, looked both kind and intimidating in an off putting way and Luhan knew he would eventually tell him. They called him there to ask questions about that, after all. He tried to stay calm.

_Just listen and answer._

Still, he was on edge. Detective Wu opened the file and took a picture out of it, careful not to show Luhan the rest of the content, he slid it towards him.

“Do you recognise this car?”

The picture showed a black car, door on the driver’s side open showing the inside. Wu Yifan took out another picture, this time of the front of the car, licence plate clearly readable. Luhan felt panic start rising somewhere in his chest.

“This… This is my boyfriend’s and mine car…” his voice trembled, he couldn’t help it. He was sitting in a police station, talking with a detective that was showing him pictures of their seemed abandoned car the day after Minseok had left driving it. Leaving the car like this, not only unlocked but with the door completely open? Minseok would have never done something like that.

“Mr. Lu” Wu Yifan tried to catch his attention again. Luhan had got quiet staring at the pictures. He could feel tears forming in his eyes.

“What could you tell me about this?” it was obvious he was trying to know what Luhan knew before showing his cards. Luhan didn’t fucking care about police’s tricks, he just wanted Minseok to be okay, and if him talking would help, he would talk. He tried to calm down again.

“My boyfriend, Minseok, and I… We… We had a fight last night and then I got in the shower… But when I came out our bedroom was a mess, most of his things gone… The car too… And… And I thought he had taken it but… What is this? He would never… He would never leave the car like that… He’s the responsible one… The one who pays attention so food wouldn’t expire in the fridge… And writes on the calendar when we have to pay bills… And… And…” panic got him.

“Mr. Lu” Detective Wu gestured towards the mirror on his right and one of his colleague entered the room bringing a glass of water. “I know this is hard on you but we need your help to understand what had happened.” He slid the glass towards Luhan who took it with trembling hands and started gulping it down.

_Pull yourself together, dear God. Minseok doesn’t need you to be this useless right now._

He took a deep breath rubbing his hands on his face. Looked like in the end those tears had spilled from his eyes.

“I’m sorry… I’m fine now.”

Wu Yifan just nodded, serious but kind look still in place.

“The car was found this morning, one kilometre outside the city. The engine running, the driver’s door open, the radio on. Inside there were a suitcase, a bag and…” he punctuated the call of each item by putting a picture of the object in front of Luhan. It was the last one that got him the most “…this ring on the floor in front of the passenger seat.”

Luhan breathed deeply.

“You said he left the house after a fight, right?”

Luhan just nodded in reply but the detective stayed quiet, waiting for more.

“I had just come home from work. It was around… After 10 pm… I was tired and I got angry for a stupid thing…” Luhan tried not to think of all the what ifs. He needed to focus on giving information so the police could find Minseok. He could blame himself later.

“Was it something that happen often? The fights…”

“Pretty often…” whispered Luhan lowering his gaze “It has been… A stressful period…”

Yifan opened his mouth to ask another question but he was cut off by the door opening behind him and his name being called by one of his colleagues. The detective exchanged a serious look with the policeman, a silent conversation of just a couple of seconds, then the newcomer was gone and Yifan had turned to face Luhan again.

“Sorry, I’d have to ask you to wait here” An apologetic smile on his lips but a frown on his brows, detective Wu stood up. Luhan watched him go, thick file and pictures carefully taken out of his sight.

 

*****

 

When Wu Yifan came back almost an hour later, Luhan knew by just one glance at the man that something was about to happen. Or had already happened. He had a stern look on his face and had brought another glass of water for Luhan. He took it just to have something to grab onto and stop his hands from moving nervously.

The detective opened the file once again. “Do you happen to know any of these people?”

Three pictures were now in front of Luhan, each of a different person. They seemed taken from those people’s ID cards: a smiling woman on her fifties, a serious guy that was at most 35 and a pretty girl in her twenties. Luhan shook his head. They were all strangers.

“After a first examination of the car this morning we had some hypothesis, now we are almost certain of what had happened” Wu Yifan paused but taking in Luhan’s expression went on “There have been other odd disappearances this past year, all people that were leaving their significant other after a fight, the last of a long series” Luhan was confused and scared, his heart sinking, and those words had confirmed yet again what he already knew.

_It’s all my fault._

He felt sick all of a sudden.

Wu Yifan gestured to the first picture, the woman on her fifties. “Li Min. She left her and her husband’s house eight months ago. The neighbours reported hearing loud crashing sounds, the couple screaming at each other and then seeing the woman leave. The day after her sister reported her disappearance: Li Min had called her saying she was taking the train to stay at her house after the fight but she never arrived. Her belongings were found on the train she was supposed to take.” The detective glanced at Luhan, waiting in case the man had something to say but he stayed quiet, so Wu Yifan brought his attention to the second picture, the guy. “Wang Wei. Five months ago he went to his best friend’s house in tears. His girlfriend used to take money from him and when he had finally stood up to her, the girl’s older brothers had come to his house and beat him until he had promised to give her the money. His best friend offered him to stay at his house for the night so that the day after they could go together to the police. When the guy had come back from the 24 hours store Wang Wei wasn’t in the house anymore but all the things he had brought with him were still there.” Wu Yifan had looked at Luhan from time to time while talking: the man was pale, gaze fixed on the pictures but not really seeing them, too occupied trying to comprehend all the information he was given. Detective Wu put his hand near the third and last picture, the pretty girl. “Zhang Xiuying. Last month her girlfriend came to the shop she worked in and started screaming about Xiuying cheating on her. When she tried to hit her, Xiuying’s co-worker kicked her out of the store. The guy covered Xiuying at the shop so that she could go back to her dormitory, take some things and go stay at her parents’. Her bike was found near her parents’ house next to a bag full of clothes and her phone.”

Luhan finally lifted his gaze, tears in his eyes once again and asked the obvious question.

“They… They were never found, isn’t it?”

The look Wu Yifan gave him was completely different from what he had expected. There wasn’t confirmation accompanied by a determined stare that tried to say “we won’t stop ‘till we find them”. But it also wasn’t the pitying “we have already found their bodies” look. Luhan couldn’t understand that gaze at all. There was something dark, a shadow that sent a shiver down his spine just before the detective opened his mouth again.

“It’s more complicated than that.” He pointed again to the first picture. “Three days after Li Min’s disappearance her husband was found dead in their house.” Luhan’s eyes lifted to the detective’s but he had already shifted his gaze to the second picture moving his finger above it. “We had no clue of Li Min’s whereabouts. She had been missing for three months when Wang Wei disappeared. That same night Min was found unconscious near the centre of the city” Luhan gasped lightly.

_Unconscious? Unconscious is not “dead”._

Wu Yifan had more than clearly hinted how Minseok was involved in these disappearances so if the first woman had been found alive, he could have hope. For a moment he believed it, that maybe Minseok still had a chance. But the story the detective was telling seemed far from its end and that shadow was still in his eyes.

“Two weeks later, Wei’s girlfriend and her two brothers were found dead. The girl in a street near her work place, the oldest brother in the bathroom of a pub and the other one in his house.” There was a feeling in Luhan’s chest he couldn’t exactly grasp but he didn’t have the time to analyse it anyway. The detective’s finger was moving once again and Luhan knew he was about to stop on the third picture. “Last month, four months after Wang Wei’s got missing, Zhang Xiuying got missing as well. The day after a man that was taking his dog out for a walk found Wei unconscious literally on his doorstep” he looked at Luhan again. “Four days later Xiuying’s girlfriend was found dead in her University’s library”

There were no more pictures on the table. There was no need for another one and Luhan was glad detective Wu was still in his spot. He wasn’t going to take any other photograph from the file on the table. In that moment having Minseok’s face right in front of him, even if only through paper would have been too much. Luhan lifted his gaze from the folder. He knew what was going on and now that he was looking Wu Yifan right in the eyes, the detective knew he knew, too.

 _Just tell me._  

Wasn’t it what often happen to people? That utill the moment someone says the truth out loud they can pretend it’s just a nightmare, a creepy fantasy inside their heads? When you say it out loud it becomes almost tangible. And there, in a way too white and cold room, with a stranger he just met, Luhan needed “tangible”. The glass still in his hands wasn’t enough to reassure him anymore. Minseok was his “tangible”, and he wasn’t there. The closest thing to Minseok he could have in that moment was the truth about him.

“Yesterday night Kim Minseok disappeared” the name was a knife hitting right in the heart “and an hour ago Zhang Xiuying was found unconscious in an alley.”

Luhan’s mind was blank, a white canvas where someone had written words with black ink.

_You’re next._

 

*****

 

The apartment was little: the front door opened into the main room which worked as both kitchen and dining room, with two wooden doors on opposite sides to separate the open space from bathroom and bedroom. There was a TV in one of the corners but no couch. He would have to sit at the table or on the floor to watch it (not that Luhan had been in the mood to it anyway). The whole flat screamed of broken college student. The sun was setting outside the window. It would be dark soon but Luhan didn’t bother to stand up from his spot on the bed and switch the light on. This was something that he had only seen in American action movies: the witness of a crime the police tries to hide away so they won’t get killed before the trial and the criminal could go to jail. Only, he wasn’t an innocent in need of protection from some bad boy, he was an asshole that somehow had caught the attention of a serial killer with good intentions. The whole thing somehow reminded him of Death Note* but the thought didn’t make him laugh.

_It’s easy to laugh when someone trips and falls in front of you when you’re not the dude on the ground._

It had taken a couple hours to arrange a place for him to stay and to take him directly from the police station to the apartment. Going back home to retrieve some clothes and personal objects was too dangerous from the police’s point of view. It was highly possible the house was still being watched.

“We’ll provide clothes and food, you don’t have to worry about that” they had said.

Clothes and food were the last things he was worrying about. Actually he wasn’t worrying about anything. He just felt empty. Funny how he switched from breaking down at the beginning of his conversation with Wu Yifan to feeling nothing now that he knew everything. It was as if with each word the detective had sucked out every single piece of his soul. Luhan was an empty shell that couldn’t help but replaying in its head what had happened, as if trying to fill itself by analysing everything he knew.

When detective Wu had told him about Zhang Xiuying, Luhan had known it was his turn to ask questions. Wu Yifan was conscious of the huge amount of information he had literally thrown at Luhan and was waiting for him to speak. But Luhan was probably already half emptied and the shell he was turning into was only capable of absorb, not produce on its own: breath in information, breath out answers to questions he was asked.

“So what is it that you think about this?” was what had come out of his mouth. Wu Yifan hadn’t looked weirded out by the cold tone of his voice. Thinking back at it, the emptiness probably had showed in his eyes. Luhan wondered how many people had been emptied by detective Wu’s news. He had seemed used to reactions like his.

 “The most popular theory is that there is a serial killer that takes revenge on abusive partners. This person kidnaps people that are trying to come out of an abusive relationship on the day they are leaving their lover, kills the abuser and keeps the abused person ‘till they find and kidnap the next one. Seems like there’s no link between the people involved so we suppose this person gets information about people’s private lives by chance and then choose his victims. Almost all of Li Min’s neighbours knew things were bad between husband and wife. One of Wang Wei’s girlfriend’s brother, the one founded in the pub, used to drink and spill everything he knew out: the barman of the pub he was found into said he had never seen him before that night but the guy had told him the story of his life and also about what was going on with Wang Wei. And it wasn’t the first time Zhang Xiuying’s girlfriend had caused a scene, getting to the extent of hitting Xiuying in public too.” Wu Yifan paused for a second. “Does anybody know about your fights with Minseok?”

In a normal situation, hearing his relationship with Minseok being put together with abusive ones would have made Luhan so angry he would have flipped the table against the one who had dared to even hint at something so ridiculous. This time he just answered the question like a machine.

“I don’t think so” He hadn’t talked about it with anyone. After all, what was there to say? Those had been just trivial fights with his boyfriend, things that happen when you live with someone. That was what Luhan had always thought, at least until he had come out of the bathroom to an empty house. And Minseok… The person he talked about everything was Luhan himself. Who would Minseok go to if he wanted to talk about him? His parents and sister? Or maybe his more-brother-than-cousin Jongdae? No one in China anyway. At least Luhan couldn’t think of anyone close to Minseok enough to. Wasn’t something like that pretty… Lonely? Not having anyone to talk to when the person that should make you feel loved and protected simply doesn’t? Where the fuck had Luhan’s brain been the past few months to not notice? If his brain had been where it should have nothing of that would have happened.

Wu Yifan had nodded taking in his answer when a sharp but soft sound had made Luhan lower his gaze. He had unconsciously moved his right thumb against the glass in his hands. The ring on his finger reflected the light from the lamp on the ceiling and the still-not-shell part of his mind reminded him of the most important question he had yet to ask.

“How are the persons that got kidnapped?”

_Unconscious is not dead but if you never wake up it’s the same._

“Some woke up when someone tried to, others took a couple hours. They’re all healthy. No wounds, superficial nor intern. At all. And that's why doctors don't understand how all of them had lost part of their memories"

"Part" Luhan was openly staring. It wasn't the time to care about politeness. It wasn't a question, just a way to tell detective Wu he had understood and was waiting for explanations on that particular point. A detail that couldn't be not important.

"Selective amnesia, the doctors said, but they can't explain why. No wounds whatsoever and no trace of drugs or other unusual substances in their system. Still, there are more than evident similarities on what the three of them can't remember" Luhan had understood at that point of his "relationship" with Wu Yifan that the man would always stop and glance at him before dropping a new shocking bomb, as if to decide whether Luhan was ready for the explosion or not. The conclusion he had got that time must have been a yes.

"They don't remember anything after a certain point of their life that we tracked back for each of them to the day they disappeared. The time between them being missing and being found is a black hole. This is pretty understandable. A trauma like one of being kidnapped can cause something like this even though for three completely different people to experience it is unusual. The abnormal thing is another." Another glance, this time really quick, just to reconfirm the 'yes' from before. Thinking back at that time, Luhan could tell that was the moment Wu Yifan had released the bomb but it had taken some time for the collision to occur. "They can’t remember the reason why they were in the place they were kidnapped into.” Another pause. The bomb had been about to fell on him, it was just above his head. “More exactly, they can’t remember the person that caused them being there. At all.” What a silent explosion had that been. It had probably been the collision that finished empting Luhan. Because even though that sentence was pretty vague, Luhan was actually a smart guy and the implication of that phrase had been too much. Weird thing that the form his last pieces of soul had chosen to fly away from him had been by Luhan himself summarising all the information he had got and voicing that same last implication.

“So, since I’d been an asshole to my boyfriend ‘til the point he had run away from me, a serial killer kidnapped him and they’re gonna come for me soon. But while I’m gonna get killed, Minseok is going to be found somewhere without remembering I even existed?”

This time Wu Yifan had really looked taken aback by his cold demeanour. So maybe he wasn’t so used to make people become useless mannequins in front of him. Or maybe Luhan had reached a new peak of the whole process. The detective had cleared his throat, obviously trying to mask his sudden uneasiness.

“We showed them pictures of their partners. And asked questions about their personal life, for example who they lived with, who was the owner of some objects that were in their houses... The answer is always the same: ‘I don’t know’. The even more weird thing is that they don’t look shocked or uncomfortable to see things not theirs in their own homes, or pictures of themselves with a person they don’t recognise. They just shrug it off. It’s obviously not a normal reaction but even though we made our psychologist visit them… Well, their answer is the same as the doctors. They haven’t got a clue.” The detective had ended his monologue with a deep sigh. He had suddenly looked a whole lot older. Tiredness overflowing from every little wrinkle of his actually young face. After a moment he had frozen realising how inappropriate his words had been. He had taken out his frustrations about the case onto one of the people involved. Totally unprofessional. But Luhan hadn’t given a fuck about it. Normally he would have grimaced but at the moment he had been unable to care. After all, his soul was gone.

“I see. So what now?” had been his reply.

That was how Luhan, instead of being at his workplace finishing stupid paperwork, had ended up sitting alone on the bed of a flat in a village he had never set foot in before, half an hour away from the city, with undercover policemen monitoring from the perimeter of the apartment complex. And to think that he was the action-crime-war movie lover of the couple. Minseok watched them with him just to make him stop pestering him, or so he had always said. But Luhan knew the truth. He knew Minseok actually did it to make him happy. The affectionate smile he always made after accepting with a deep sigh was proof enough.

Just that. Just the memory of the badly concealed smile Minseok had always sported when spoiling him was enough to break the shell Luhan had become letting his soul find its way back into his body. The emotions the shock had locked away were now washing through him all together without any kind of order.

_Fear. Disbelief. Longing. Anger. Regret. Love. Pain. Confusion. Sadness._

_Pure terror. Panic._

Luhan almost couldn’t breathe. He frantically looked around. The now dark sky outside the window and even the street lamps’ light pouring on the floor through the glass were creepy. He stood up abruptly and  switched the lights on only to run to the window and shut the world out. If possible, the room looked even creepier when he turned around. Everything in the room was mocking him. Why the hell were the walls that white?  He stumbled back to the bed and covered himself from head to toe with the covers trying to shut the world even more out.

 

*****

 

The map that was given to each student on Orientation Day was more useless than not. Did they really think it was easy enough to give to people that had never really explored the place (aka stupid freshmen)? If that was the case, Luhan deeply disagreed. He was about to turn the map for the nth time to figure out where he was ('cause, yes, he didn't even know where he was, how was he supposed to find building 3, where he was having his next lesson in less than an hour, if he hadn't got a clue of where to walk from?) when he heard a door open some meters away and saw a guy walking out of it.

 _Screw pride_ , thought Luhan approaching the guy saying a, he hoped, friendly-enough-to-get-help "excuse me". The guy turned around with a curious expression on his face and waited for Luhan to get near enough to talk to him.

"Do you know where building 3 is? I, ehm... Let's say this thing could have been drawn a little better" he said with a sheepish smile while raising slightly the, at this point, useless piece of paper. The guy suddenly got a knowing look on his face.

"Totally feel you. I had to enter this place and ask for directions to understand where I was!" He said with a scowl on his face while pointing a thumb behind his back and towards the door he had just come through. "By the way, it seems like this is building 5 and building 3 should be over there." He continued pointing to his left. "And it shouldn't be far since, well, 3 and 5 are pretty close numbers?" his brows furrowed. That was logical and simple reasoning but Luhan had thought making an easy to read map had been logical and simple too. From what they knew, the building next to number 5 could have been number 34/C or some shit like that.

"I asked for that place too since I've got lesson there." a small smile graced the stranger's lips as he finished.

"We can go together" readily replied Luhan. "Maybe two heads wouldn't get lost in this maze they call university."

"I really hope so." said the guy starting walking, Luhan falling in step next to him.

"Yeah... I think we will end up meeting someone that got stuck here 5 years ago while trying to get to lecture and couldn't find his way out or something." the guy laughed, promptly covering his mouth with a hand. He had a somewhat reserved aura surrounding him but still he looked pretty amused by their current where-the-fuck-are-we situation.

"Well, if that's the case we'll bring them with us. We'd start our own tribe and conquer the whole college." Luhan was right. Maybe the guy was reserved (or, well, just less outgoing than he was) but sure thing he was funny.

"So, who I'm having the honour of starting my first rebellious tribe with?"  He'd like to stuck with him. First week of college was made to make friends anyway. First thing he needed a name to associate with the new face.

"Minseok. Or, well, Mike since we're in the US and my name seems to be way too difficult to pronounce." he rolled his eyes faking annoyance.

"You're a foreign student too? Nice to meet you! LuHan from China" he couldn't help but beam when he saw a genuine happy smile bloom on Minseok's lips.

 

*****

 

 _God bless shitty college maps_  was an almost constant thought Luhan had while being with Minseok. They had hit off immediately. The more time they spent together, the more Luhan felt lucky for having to ask for directions that one day. It was just so easy being with him. Now all those stupid feel-like-we-had-known-each-other-for-years thing made sense. Incredible sense. The other friends they had made in the first few months of university always expected them to be together. “No Mike without Liam, no Liam without Mike” was the general rule. The fact that they actually weren't constantly together (mostly because they had different majors) was irrelevant and the rule stayed strong. Luhan couldn't say he couldn't understand the reason for their friends being stubborn about it. They both actually did what they could to spend time together as often as they could. Some of their classmates assumed it was because both of them were foreigners. It wasn't unusual to see people with Asian traits on campus but most of them were actually Americans with foreign parents or had moved to the USA when they were little. (A girl Luhan had talked to on his first week of college was born in China but had come to America when she was 1 and the result was she couldn't speak Chinese to save her life). Luhan couldn't totally deny it: when he had found out Minseok was in the same boat as him he had almost jumped in joy and had spent the first few days of their friendship learning how to pronounce Minseok's real name correctly (and Minseok had done the same with his). It had been incredibly weird for him when he had brought some documents to the foreign students office and the woman at the desk had told him he would need an English name because his was too difficult.

"Lu… Luan? Why don't you just get called Liam? Trust me, it will be a lot easier for you."

And Liam it was. Still, it had been weird having a completely different name attached to him all of a sudden and Minseok had confirmed he had felt it unpleasant too. Maybe it was true that being both far from home, in a country where they had to speak another language 24/7 had brought them together but Luhan knew it had been the reason for it only at the very beginning. Now it was different. There was so much more and he didn’t even know where that much more had come from. He just knew that college life would have been a lot more boring and probably harder without Minseok. Instead, he had a feel he would pass his exams with bright colours. Being Minseok's friend also meant spending time actually studying. Never during his whole school life had Luhan met with a friend for a study session and actually studied. It didn't take Luhan a lot of time understanding what a serious person Minseok was -  his first impression was right. He wasn't the if-something-isn't-under-my-control-I'm-gonna-start-throwing-random-objects kind of person, nor the boring we-need-to-study-24/7-or-the-world-will-collapse guy too. He simply had things he cared about and poured all his heart into them. He liked soccer and reserved Saturday's afternoons only for playing, even by himself, no matter burning sun or freezing rain. He knew his mother was worried about him being far from home and he did whatever he could to talk to her at least once a day no matter what time it was. And he loved reading. Minseok was a quiet guy but he loved words. He'd just rather listen than speak. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't speak for himself. Minseok was strong-willed and when he had something to say, he'd say it, making people really listen to him. He was smart after all and so were the ideas that came from his mouth. Who knew him knew this too, so every time his lips would part most people would immediately shut up because they knew they were about to hear something interesting. It had been from Minseok's love for words that his decision of becoming a translator had come from.

"Making people able to read, able to understand... It's like magic!" he had said the first time he had explained to Luhan what his dream job had been. And Luhan couldn't help but stare in awe. He had never met someone with such a fire in them. Minseok's eyes had been sparkling that time. They would always sparkle when he talked about the things he loved. As much as they would get that concentrated gaze when he was busy dealing with something important. Exactly like he was in that moment, sat on the opposite side of the library table, absorbed in the textbook he had right in front of him. When Minseok was in that state Luhan really couldn't bring himself to bother him with stupid jokes and whines of how he really didn't felt like studying. Watching Minseok put all of him into studying to achieve his dreams always made Luhan willing too. Minseok emitted passion and Luhan basked in it, transforming it in his own and putting it into focusing on his studies. Minseok was the fuel on his almost non-existent fire.

 

*****

 

Minseok was in front of him, laughing his ass off so hard no sound could make it out of his mouth. Luhan had almost felt offended when the guy had started laughing at him but he had been too embarrassed to really be angry, his pride seriously damaged. It was his own fault after all. He was trying to brag by showing off his great soccer player skills, making the ball bounce on his knees, chest and head. Too bad where he was standing the mud had been more slippery than he had thought and he had ended up with his ass on the ground after desperately trying to regain his balance moving his arms around like an idiot. And now Minseok was on the ground too, not more than two or three meters between them, hugging himself because his stomach had started hurting. Luhan really couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Watching Minseok in that state made the embarrassment and the ache on his butt worth it. Still, he couldn’t just sat there letting the fact that Minseok was mocking him in his face slide.

“Stop it. It’s not all that funny.” Was the only remark that came to his mind. Minseok started making weird whaling sounds in reply.

“You sound like you’re about to die. Stop it! I don’t want to have to carry your sorry ass to the infirmary.” This only made Minseok laugh harder.

“The… The sorry ass…” he was trying to speak while still laughing and finding a way to breathe again but panting harshly instead. He wasn’t doing a very good job. “The sorry ass… Here… Is yours. That… That poor thing… Hit the ground… So hard… Your parents probably heard it in China!” Luhan's jaw dropped.

“You little shit! This is too much!” finally Luhan moved from the spot he had been glued to all along and throw himself at Minseok. The guy didn’t expect the attack, still caught in laughter, but reacted quickly anyway. It had been a good idea going to the park to play at 6 am on a Sunday. At least no one was around to witness Luhan and Minseok making a fuss rolling all over the grass.

“Ok, ok, stop! I surrender! I’m sorry!” Minseok was strong but all that laughing earlier had got him tired before the fight had even began. Luhan didn’t know how long it had went on but he was tired too at that point and with a victory howl he collapsed on Minseok. They just stayed like that for a while, a mess of limbs on the wet grass. It took Luhan a second too long to realise the position they were in, both breathing heavily, Luhan on top of Minseok with their faces against each other’s necks. They were used to high fives, arms around the shoulders, manly hugs, but this was different. It wasn’t such a big deal, actually. Just two friends playing around like fools and then catching their breath before standing up again to start kicking each other’s asses at soccer. The thing was that it didn’t fell friendly at all. It felt intimate. Pretty intimate. Even more when Minseok actually circled his arms around Luhan’s back and they stayed in that position long after starting breathing normally again, still not saying a word. It was so comfortable. Luhan knew why it was like that, at least on his part. He had realised he had stopped looking at Minseok the way a friend should. Sometimes he thought he had never looked at him like that from the start. And it didn’t feel weird, having feelings for his friend, because more often than not he had caught Minseok looking back at him. Still he hadn’t been sure and it wasn’t like he could ask something like that out of the blue. So Luhan had decided to just go with the flow. When the moment had felt right he would speak his mind, or act or something. Well… That moment felt pretty right. And so Luhan acted out of instinct. Supporting his weight on his arms he lifted his head to face Minseok from above. The guy didn’t move from his position, didn’t unlace his arms from Luhan’s back. He just stayed there, staring back at Luhan. No words between them. Just breaths and the layer of air separating their faces. Minseok’s eyes were so beautiful. A deep black that was trying to engulf him, framed in such a pretty shape. Minseok’s eyes were so beautiful that Luhan felt a wave of courage wash through him as he tentatively started closing the distance between them. Slowly, very slowly, in case it wasn’t what Minseok wanted. But the nearest they got, the more Minseok’s beautiful eyes closed and Luhan’s own started closing too. With his eyes shut Luhan couldn’t see anything but kept on diminishing the distance between them. Their noses brushed a little and finally Luhan felt something soft and warm against his mouth. The contact made his stomach knot, a weird wave starting from there and going up and down his whole body. He was so taken aback by those sensations he stayed still, lips frozen against the ones under his. He finally shook out of his reverie when Minseok brushed gently his mouth against Luhan's, making him respond to the touch. He kissed back slowly, savouring the moment. It felt so good. It felt so right. Even more when he felt one of Minseok's hands drag gently across his back. So good, so right Luhan couldn't help but call Minseok's name against their brushing lips. It sounded like a mix of a moan and a whisper and Luhan would have been deeply embarrassed realising that if not Minseok had replied with an equally embarrassing half hum half whimper himself.

The last more or less coherent thought Luhan had was him wondering where their soccer ball had rolled off to after he had fallen. He decided he didn’t care.

 

*****

 

Luhan was learning that shutting the outside world away leaves you with yourself only.

Your thoughts, your feelings, your regrets, your memories.

He had been overwhelmed by them. The only moments his mind stopped were when one of the policemen patrolling the area would come to check on him. He felt as if watching himself talk from outside his body.

_No problem._

_Nothing out of norm happened._

_No, I'm not hungry, thank you._

Just for everything to close back on him again the moment the door would shut close.

He was still curled on the entrance floor from when the last officer had left. How long had he been in there? What time was it? How long before he would die? Because Luhan felt it in the depth of his soul that he wasn't safe. He should feel protected. At least ten persons were around with the only aim of remove any possible harm from around him. But the only person he wanted to protect him wasn't there. Minseok had always done such a good job in reassure him. His hands were always so soothing against his hair, his cheeks, his back. Luhan used to seek Minseok's warmth all the time, so much that sometimes he had wondered if he wasn't being a bother. Just a look at Minseok's face was enough to know that no, to him he wasn't, because he wasn't the only one wanting it.

Still, he had been the one annoyed by Minseok's affection that night.

Something churned at his stomach and he had to run to the bathroom. There wasn't any food in his belly to throw up, just lots of anger and hate towards himself.

 

*****

An incessant clicking sound could be heard from outside the closed door. For how softly it had been, it was incredibly irritating still.

He lifted his head from where it was resting on his folded arms on the table. The light from his computer screen blinded him for some seconds. Deactivating the stand-by mode of his laptop hadn’t been a wise choice after all. When his eyes had finally got used to the white artificial light less than thirty centimeter from them, he still couldn’t make them open fully. He couldn’t even discern the shape of the black characters on the screen. An headache was forming in some point of his forehead but he was too disoriented from suddenly awakening to exactly place it. Not that he had cared about the where, too annoyed by the only realization he would probably had to take some medicine to be able to fall asleep that night.

The clicking sound was still there, in the back of his still sleepy consciousness. The more he woke up, the more his mind would focus on it.

Somehow he found the strength necessary to stand up and stumble to the door, the never ending sound even clearer after he had opened it. A vein started to pulse on his temple.

The noise stopped a couple of seconds after he had entered the room at the end of the short hallway. Minseok’s fingers were still on the keyboard but they weren’t moving. His eyes weren’t on the screen anymore too, but on Luhan.

“Are you okay? You look like you have been hit by a truck. Hard.”

“Headache”

No need for more explanations. Minseok was ready on his feet and in front of Luhan, one hand caressing his face.

“You shouldn’t bring work home. Home is for rest, you know?”

He had quieted his voice as to not irritate Luhan’s brain more than it already was. For the first time since he had set foot in the room, Luhan really looked at Minseok. Bright, sweet eyes showing concern, understanding smile on his lips. Luhan sighed and finally let himself relax against the palm still on his cheek. He closed his eyes for a second before reopening them again. Had those purplish signs always been under Minseok’s eyes? He was pretty sure they hadn’t.

“You’re one to talk. Then, what were you doing just now?”

To write that furiously it was pretty obvious what it has been. The sheepish smile that came in return was enough proof.

_Completely caught red handed, love._

“Deadline soon”

Now was Luhan’s turn to caress the other’s face.

“And still you had the guts to scold me like a child, uh?”

A laugh escaped Minseok’s lips but even though it wasn’t the quietest of sounds it didn’t actually hurt Luhan’s pulsing brain. Maybe he needed a break. Maybe he needed…

“Just shut up and let’s go cuddle on the couch”

Luhan let Minseok drag him to the other side of the room. After all, he had just been promoted. He still needed some time to get the hang of it. He was sure he would manage to deal with the brand new pressure in no time. He just needed to get used to it, yeah.

For now, he would just relax in Minseok’s embrace.

 

*****

 

The clock had signed 1:47 PM when Luhan went back to his office after the meeting. Finally being able to take off his suit’s jacket and let his tie loose was a relief. He had realised he had forgotten his cellphone on the way back to the office, when he had looked for it in his pocket to turn it back on as usual after a meeting. And there it was, on the right side of his desk, next to the empty space where the papers he had been reviewing before the reunion had been.

Another look at the clock told him it was 1:49 o’clock now. The meeting had lasted a whole lot more than expected. He had thought he would be free by 12:00.

At that thought the blood froze in his veins. For a moment Luhan stared helplessly at the phone on the desk. Then his hand rushed to take it and unlock the screen.

Five texts, three calls. All from the same number.

He didn’t even had to open the messages to know their content.

_Fuck._

He quickly called the number back. After two rings the other person picked up but Luhan didn’t give them the time to speak.

“I. Am. So. Sorry. The meeting just finished and I forgot the phone so I couldn’t-”

A sigh from the other line made him stop.

“It’s okay, Luhan. I figured as much when you didn’t reply my texts nor pick up the phone.”

Silence. What could Luhan say? Minseok’s voice sounded so… Resigned.

After all, wasn’t Luhan the one that had come out with the idea of eating together since, after the meeting, all of them would have been free to go for the day? Wasn’t he the one to promise Minseok that _finally_ they would have lunch together? How long had it been since the last time they did?

“So… Have you eaten yet?” He was so overwhelmed with guilt it had been the most intelligent thing he could think of.

“Yeah. I thought you wouldn’t be free any time soon, so…” his tone had still that you-let-me-down-but-I’m-trying-not-to-show-it kind of vibe attached to it.

“Are you at home? I’m coming back. Right now.”

A hum and a faint “okay” were enough of an answer for Luhan to take his things and rush out of the office. Twenty minutes and he was at home. He found Minseok busy on the stove.

“You haven’t eaten yet, right?” quiet words coming from a back turned to him.

Now guilt was heavier than before on Luhan. There was nothing he could think of saying. His mind was blank. So he did the only thing he was yearning for. Closing the distance between them he hugged Minseok from behind burying his nose in the man’s  shoulder blades. Silence lingered between them before Minseok broke it.

“I’m thinking of taking a side job”

“All of a sudden?” Luhan hoped his voice had sounded not as surprised as he had felt.

“I’ve been thinking about it for some time now. You know, I don’t have a fixed schedule and sometimes a month or two go by before I have some translations  assigned to me.”

Luhan hummed in understanding loud enough to be heard above the sound of whatever was boiling on the stove.

“My colleague’s brother owns a small café and would like someone to lend a hand now and then. Staying at home all the time is pretty depressing and working there would surely help with my Chinese. And… Actually, I’ve already said I’ll do it.”

Luhan lifted his head from Minseok back.

“Like that? Without telling me?” Wasn’t that something they should have talked about first? Obviously Minseok didn’t need Luhan’s approval before deciding for his life, but still. He felt the man stop moving against his body

“When? ” said Minseok.

“When what?”

“When could I have told you? You do realise you’re never home, don’t you?”

Was that bitterness in Minseok’s voice? Luhan wanted to ask but he was cut off before even parting his lips.

“The food is ready.”

And like that Minseok turned off the stove and got away from Luhan to take something from the cupboard.

 

*****

 

He had passed out on the bathroom floor, Luhan realised when a knocking sound from the main door woke him and he had to stand up from the cold tiles to answer the door.

Different face. Same questions. Same answers. And Luhan was dragging his heavy body on the messed up bed.

Oblivion. He was so tired and the only thing he wanted was oblivion.

 

*****

 

Minseok was looking at him from the bed. He had thought he would already be asleep when he entered the room but when he had turned around, work clothes discarded on a chair, Minseok's eyes were staring at him. Luhan knew that look: Minseok was waiting for him. For what, Luhan didn't know. For him to come closer? For him to say something? What something? Even from a distance, those black eyes were standing out against the skin illuminated by the moon light. Luhan sat on the bed looking back at Minseok, pyjamas forgotten under his pillow. Silence was normal between them, another way of savouring moments spent together. And they were both silent in that moment, looking at each other. But why couldn't he read Minseok's gaze as he usually would? Something was off.

_I'm so tired. That's probably why. I'll ask him tomorrow._

He turned around taking the pyjamas from under his pillow and put it on. He whispered a “good night” and closed his eyes.

The day after Luhan forgot to ask.

 

*****

 

A familiar feeling crawling up his chest woke him up. His mind was so tired he couldn't bring his eyes to open. He was in that grey zone between being awake and being asleep. Everything was blurred: a light pressure just below his collarbones, a wisp of warm air above his mouth and then a gentle caress on his lips. Sensation after sensation his consciousness cleared and Luhan could identify each one: a hand on his chest for support, a breath that closed the distance, a lingering kiss. He shook definitely awake when the other pair of lips parted from his own and a whisper called him.

"Han"

He smiled content and kept his eyes closed circling his arms around the other guy's neck and bringing him down for another slow kiss. It was in the middle of it that his mind finally cleared completely and the memories of the past few days came back from the haze. Luhan ended the kiss abruptly and opened his eyes to find sweet cat like ones observing him from above. He quickly sat bringing the guy up with him and cupped both his cheeks with his hands.

"Min?" he called. Minseok just smiled leaning in the touch and Luhan felt tears pool in his eyes. He didn't say anything. He just enveloped Minseok in his arms. His boyfriend nuzzled into his neck and they stayed like that, in silence, 'til Minseok broke it.

"Why are you crying?"

Luhan sobbed before answering.

"I missed you. I missed you so much. I thought I wouldn't see you again. I thought I was about to die..." he sobbed again and hugged the man harder. He couldn't believe it. Minseok was there with him, safe and sound. How did the police find him? Did they catch the killer? Minseok slowly moved one of his hands in circles on his back and chuckled lightly.

"Oh... What does make you think you aren't about to do just that?"

Luhan froze as the hand on his back did at the end of the question. He put both hands on the chest in front of him and pushed. Minseok's lips were lifted in a smirk.

His eyes had always been a deep black, ponds Luhan liked to lose himself into. The same eyes he had in front of him when he had awakened just a couple of moments earlier. Those eyes, now, were far from black. They were a bland, sickening yellow.

 

*****

 

Luhan was pressed against cold tiles again, this time being the shower box wall's. Seated hugging his knees he tried to make his body the smaller he could against the flat surfaces of the corner. He didn't know what was happening. He didn't know what to do. Fear was the only thing he knew. Pure terror. Because he thought he had Minseok in his arms while it was a _monster_. Luhan had never run faster in his life. He had reached the bathroom and locked in it in no time, thanking God the police had put him in such a small apartment. Only that now he was trapped. The apartment complex wasn't big but the flat was on the fourth floor: he wouldn't survive jumping from the window. For a split second he had thought of running towards the front door instead but he had listened to the police and locked it after each of their visit: opening it would have taken too long and the _thing_  had been following him. _Was_  following him.

He tried to calm his laboured breath, stay silent so he could listen to every little noise in the house.

He heard steps. Calm steps. Getting near. And a voice starting speaking while approaching the door.

"Humans are really something. They achieved so much in such a short time but are still barbarians."

The voice was oh so familiar. The pronunciation way too clear and the vocabulary too elaborated, though. No trace of affection and warmth whatsoever.

"Selfish, foolish, greedy beings. And they don't even realise that!"

A cold laugh. Luhan knew that voice but not the person who was speaking.

"They're too busy destroying what they have."

Low, dangerous words exactly from behind the door.

"To some extent I understand, you know? Once I was one too, a human. Long, long ago. Then, I died."

The door handle turned down abruptly. Luhan started breathing again only after it had gone back to its previous horizontal position. He had locked the door first thing after closing it.

"But even though I didn't find peace it was fine. The plain I was killed into was so quiet after all the screams that had filled my life."

A dreamy sigh and Luhan could clearly hear something rub slowly against the door, as if hands were caressing the wood without pause.

"It felt so comfortable I just stayed there for years, didn't bother checking how things were changing for people even though they had built houses just on the verge of the plain. Then I started hearing screams from exactly over there."

The scrubbing sound stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

"They reminded me oh so much of my before-death life! And when I went to take a look I understood things hadn't changed at all from my time. It made me angry, so angry I decided I'd do something."

A pause and Luhan was still there, on the shower floor, eyes fixed on the door, waiting.

"You already know what that something is, don't you, sweetheart?"

Luhan stopped breathing again. That had been a monologue from the start but now Luhan had been addressed as if it had been a conversation. It felt like when he had been talking with Wu Yifan: the man speaking in general terms just to then look at him and add Minseok and him in the talk.

"You know, you were so lucky. This guy here is pretty smart."

_Here? What does it mean with 'here'?_

"Even though he truly loved you he wasn't blinded by his feelings. He was the only one not to wait for their dear one to harm them"

Even in such a moment Luhan couldn't help but think how false those words were. He would _never_  hurt Minseok. The _thing_ seemed to read his mind.

"Not physically at least."

Now those words hurt. Luhan had realised the night he had lost Minseok that he must had been hurt to decide to leave.

"Such a strong willed young man. You should have cherished him more... All of you bastards should have."

Luhan closed his eyes at the angry voice and hit his head against his knees leaving it there. It was true. He should have.

"Well, too late now. Soon he will be able to look for and find someone that will take good care of him. Without the hindrance of his past feelings for you it will be way easier!"

The cheerful tone ringed in his ears.

"I free these people and give them the fresh start I couldn't have, without any reminiscence of the ones who broke their hearts."

Then, a whisper against his left ear.

"After all, you don't deserve being remembered."

His head lifted from his knees automatically turning towards the sound.

Yellow eyes were in front of him again.

 

*****

 

Luhan had never known what a neck being snapped sounded like.

 But now he knew exactly how it felt like.

 

*****

 

Detective Wu was frozen in his standing position, eyes fixed on the scene developing on the other side of the fake mirror. The speakers were on, as they always were in such occasion, letting him hear the words that were exchanged in the other room.

One of his colleague put a picture in front of the young man seated at the opposite side of the table.

"Do you know this person?"

The guy moved a little forward to take a better look at the photo and frowned.

"No" he lift his gaze to the policeman. "I don't think I've ever seen him."

Yifan had expected that kind of answer, still couldn't help the sigh that escaped his lips.

"Then, what about this? Looks familiar?" Said the officer putting a transparent plastic envelope next to the picture. Detective Wu was too far to clearly see the little sparkly object inside but he already knew what it was.

"This ring? No."

Again a frown on that young face. Yifan had expected that answer too.

"Excuse me, but how has this something to do with someone finding me passed out in the street?"

The officer ignored the question to ask him his own.

"What is the last thing you remember before waking up, Mr. Kim?"

Minseok expression of annoyed disbelief changed in one of deep thought.

"Driving at night. Then... I was about to call a friend..." he paused and frowned tilting his head to the side. "I don't remember if I did it or not."

"And when was it?" asked the officer.

"When?"

"Yes, do you remember what day was it? Month?"

"I think it was a... Wednesday. May." then he fixed his gaze on the officer. "Aren't we in May?"

It was September.

 

*****

 

The guy in the picture was staring at Yifan from the open file on his table. Under it, three other folders. Those dark eyes seemed piercing him, trying to making him feel guilty. He had been so sure Luhan had been safe... How had it been possible?

Wu Yifan rubbed his tired eyes and looked at the clock on the table letting his hands fell on his knees.

A knock on the door broke his train of thoughts.

"Detective Wu-"

Said man got up taking a folder from a second pile on his desk, effectively stopping the agent to finish what he had to say. A nod was enough to let the young man understand he knew what he wanted to tell him. He had someone waiting for explanations.

_Another person disappear. Another person needs to be protected._

Wu Yifan threw one last glance to Luhan's picture before closing his file. Turning off the light he exited the office.

**Author's Note:**

> *Death Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Note
> 
> Thank you very much to Blue Crystal Review Shop for the incredibly detailed review: thanks to you I will surely improve.  
> Here's the shop: http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/532445/blue-crystal-review-shop-open-request-review-you-shop-reviews-reviewer-stories-reviewshop-authors-bluecrystal  
> Here's the review: http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/532445/95
> 
> AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
> I FINALLY POSTED!!!! I’m so glad!!  
> I posted the foreword on AFF on July!!
> 
> Sorry for the incredibly long wait!  
> Lots of people subscribed a long time ago while only the fic’s description was out… Hope they hadn’t forget about this story and I didn’t let them down!! ^^”””  
> *stares at how the subscriber’s number decreases*  
> I feel like I should have watched some CSI episode in English before writing this. Luhan’s interrogation part is probably totally inaccurate, isn’t it?^^””””  
> I also hope the story line came out as understandable as it was in my head. If not tell me and I’ll explain and try to fix it. Comments are made for improving, right? ;)  
> One more thing and then I promise I’ll shut up:  
> Thank you very much for reading!! Have a nice day! :D


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